New Canaan COVID Update: 57 New Cases, Upcoming Testing, Holiday Safety Protocols

This evening, Town of New Canaan First Selectman Kevin Moynihan reported that there have been 57 new COVID-19 positive cases reported since last Friday’s outcall.  An additional 784 negative test results have been reported for this period, for a positivity rate of 7.27%.  The State of Connecticut’s 7-day rolling average positivity rate is 5.79%.

Please read Moynihan's complete update below:

The cases continue to occur in every age demographic. Transmission of the virus continues to occur around social gatherings at homes, sports teams, dinner parties, play dates, caregivers and not surprisingly among family members. Like more than 90% of Connecticut, New Canaan remains classified as a “red town” with a case rate of 38.8 per 100,000, which is very high. We therefore implore residents to take immediate steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

We strongly encourage everyone to limit your social contacts and be more vigilant in regard to not attending or hosting gatherings of more than 10 people. If you have people coming into your home that are not household members they should wear a mask and you should wear a mask and maintain social distance. These actions are paramount in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Testing

Next Monday we will begin daily community testing in collaboration with Waveny LifeCare Network (“Waveny”). Because PhysicianOne will not be available next week for large scale testing like we did today for almost 700 persons and the prior two Fridays, Waveny has graciously agreed to help provide COVID-19 testing on a limited but daily basis.

Next week, there will be testing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Lapham Community Center. You must pre-register on the SignUpGenius website at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/COVID19waveny. No walk-in appointments will be allowed. The testing/lab fee of $100 will be submitted through your insurance by the lab and you will be financially responsible for any balance remaining. 

The Town of New Canaan will not be responsible if your insurance declines payment. Collaborating with Waveny for shorter but daily test days will provide easier access for residents to be tested here in town. Due to the limited available spaces we are restricting this testing to New Canaan residents only. We thank Waveny for their support to our community during a busy holiday week.  We will announce next week more testing dates to come.

As a reminder, if you have COVID-19 symptoms please do not attend work, school, or any public or private gathering.  The symptoms for COVID-19 vary and some symptoms include: new loss of sense of smell or taste, sore throat, shortness of breath, dry cough, fever, body aches, chills, fatigue, and congestion. For a complete list of COVID-19 symptoms please visit www.cdc.gov.

 We stress to all residents how important it is to recognize symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately at an area hospital, an urgent care center or a CVS or Walgreens store that is offering PCR testing.  If you have children in any of the schools or daycares please contact them immediately upon receiving a positive test result in order for them to begin their part of the contact tracing. You may also report any positive cases directly to the New Canaan Health Department at 203-594-3037.

As we welcome home our college students to New Canaan for the holiday we ask parents to advise their children to wear masks where required and especially in any local establishment, no large parties or gatherings of more than 10 people, get tested, and do not go to work or any social gathering if you have any kind of COVID symptom or illness. For those families who are gathering with relatives or friends from outside your immediate household on Thanksgiving, the CDC recommends dining outdoors if possible, opening windows for ventilation if you dine indoors, cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces, practice social distancing with those outside the immediate household, and limit the number of people to 10, as provided by Governor Lamont’s executive order.

We strongly encourage seniors and vulnerable persons with health conditions to shelter in place and limit unnecessary trips outside of the home. Our Human Services Department has a volunteer shopper program to assist seniors who need groceries and/or prescriptions. They can be contacted at 203-594-3093. The Lapham Community Center provides wonderful programming done via Zoom for socialization of seniors and they can be reached at 203-594-3620. Most restaurants will be offering take out/curbside pickup  and some are offering delivery so we encourage seniors to begin doing take out rather than going to restaurants for indoor dining.

This week the Governor updated the travel advisory to add Vermont to the list of states travel from which requires quarantine. Remember that college students traveling home from a red state are subject to the travel advisory requirements. If you travel to any of the states or countries on the list (except for less than 24 hours), you must quarantine for 14 days upon your return home or fulfill the testing requirements outlined in Executive Order 9B and also complete the travel form found on the state’s coronavirus website (https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel).

We encourage all residents to get tested and help us stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community.  We remind all residents that downtown New Canaan is a required mask zone and you must wear a mask on the sidewalks and inside all establishments.

Please do your part in controlling the spread by wearing a mask, washing hands frequently and maintaining social distance from others that are not family members.

Stay safe, New Canaan.

Kevin J. Moynihan

N
Submitted by New Canaan, CT

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